Where the Boys Are

Like many others who have commented previously on Where the Boys Are (WTBA), I was initially rather shocked at the film's frank discussion of sex. Once I thought about it more deeply, however, it was the open talk of marriage that was really fresh to my ears. I was born 11 years after this film was released and watching movies like this gives me a unique insight into history that goes well beyond the broad brushes of most sixties reviews and textbooks. Clearly both boys and girls of the time were struggling with the implications of sexuality in relationships - not a whole lot different than today.

What is different about WTBA than the films for young people of today or of my youth (e.g., The Breakfast Club) is the explicit discussion of marriage. In WTBA both the girls and the boys use different levers to try to achieve their ends. The girls use the potential for sex to get the one thing they want - marriage - and the boys use the potential for marriage to get what they are after - sex. I was amazed to hear that all the girls (even the one with an IQ of 138!) were so focussed on catching a husband at 19. None of the movies for youth that I have seen recently even touch the subject of marriage except maybe to joke about it.

While many would argue that no one gets married at 19 anymore, that ultimate end of any relationship still looms out there for young people like a giant prize (or punishment) at the end of dating. The only help I got in seeing young people get together and eventually get married was in The Princess Bride, which could easily be dismissed as fairy tale. I recall in my late teens having to turn to more adult movies like When Harry Met Sally or even Enchanted April to find some guidance for seeing a relationship through to its logical end. Maybe today's youth are skipping over She's All That and going to movies like High Fidelity for similar answers. One would hope so.

So instead of a breezy beach movie I got a social history lesson on the mating rituals of my parents' generation. I hope there's a movie that prompts this kind of discussion for my own kids someday.

Where The Boys Are (1960 Dir. Henry Levin) Fort Lauderdale College Spring Break! Oh Boy! Oh Girl! See where the perennially tan George Hamilton first acquired his swarthy complexion. Also features one of the best '60s light comediennes Paula Prentiss as "Tuggle Carpenter". Lots of talk amongst the girls about how far they should go. Lots of talk amongst the boys about how far they've gotten. A classic American take on life when the air was clean and sex was dirty. Before there was MTV's Spring Break, there was this movie. Great for viewing with mixed company (that's old-fashioned slang for boys and girls together).

i don't understand how anyone cannot like this film! the story about the 4 co-eds is mind-grabbing but i couldn't help wondering if all that sex talk would be looked upon well, it being the good old sixties. i would descibe this film as smooth, quirky, dramatic, and fun. i am a HUGE fan of frank gorshin and i loved his portrayl of basil. the whole cast was was very good and that made it a great film. i usually rent this film at least once a month. but am i the only one who adores basil's glasses?

As the saying goes, "it is what it is." Cutting edge (for 1960) teen drama holds up well, with excellent performances by several of the leads. Although it doesn't appear they actually filmed the majority of the film in Florida, there are still some wonderful shots on location in Fort Lauderdale. That community has since banned the Spring Break crowd, but I remember it well in the 60s - 80s, when living in the area.

Many users have complained about the "moralizing" of this film, but I don't find it "preachy." Prentiss is indeed a standout. Connie Francis is adequate, if somewhat masculine, in her first film role. "Narrator" Paul Frees seems to pop up in the oddest places, including The Haunted Mansion ride for Disney.

There is a Movie reviewer who has what he calls "guilty pleasure" movies or, movies that a serious movie buff might not own up to watching but which he enjoys watching never the less. This is one of those movies. It is fun inspite of all the "trashines". The acting is excellent throughout the cast. It is enjoyable to see the locations used that are easily recognizable for any one who has been to Ft. Lauderdale. The movie has too many funny parts to list, and in the other reviews on this site many have been cited. I would like to add one. In the beginning when Chill Wills and Chief of Police talks to the assembled troopers about how to handle the invasion of the students. A real classic scene. I can't wait for this film to become available on DVD, having worn out my VHS copy. A really fun nostalgia movie